Jump to content
fyrhawk

Head unit keeps turning off then back on

Recommended Posts

I have a problem with my Pioneer aftermarket radio turning off then back on for no reason. I first thought it may have been loose wiring and hitting bumps in the road was causing it until it started happen while sitting still. I had it sent to service center and they couldn't duplicate it. Then had it sent directly to Pioneer and they supposed replaced motherboard. That didn't help. So sent it back and they ended up replacing the unit. Same thing happened again with new unit. I checked all the wiring and everything was tight. Even replaced some butt splices. When I mean turn off then back on, I'm referring to the unit turning back on to my station. It wasn't resetting itself so doesn't sound like a ground problem as one service center said that would be if the black wire was loose. I even took off the rear back up camera to rule that out and still did it.

So now as of Sunday, I replaced the wiring with a new aftermarket wiring harness for my car and the new wiring harness that came with the replacement radio. Yesterday it did the same thing with shutting off then back on. Only thing that was left in the car was the ground wire that's attached to the body of the car, XM radio unit, and the bypass unit for the DVD part of the radio. Also left the back camera off as well. Any clues what this could be? Didn't attempt to trace back the wiring back to the fuse box as the original aftermarket radio was put in a year after buying the car which was brand new when I got it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Perhaps run a temporary power wire and see if it solves the problem. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Whatever circuit it's hooked to is obviously the issue.  Remove the bypass also and try that.  It's a pulsed signal generator that basically switches on and off.  Could be messing with the electronics within the head unit.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I will try that but like I said that the two power wires are connected together like they are supposed to be and nothing else. These are brand new wires also. This doesn't happen all the time which is the weird part. I can go weeks without it happening and some times it will happen twice in a day or over a couple of days. But if I had to guess it just might be the bypass but that also isn't attached to the power wires so that is why I also might be thinking not. I dont use the DVD player that much so should be ok to disconnect for testing purposes

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Not sure if running a temporary power wire will help because the two have to be connected together in order for the radio to work. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, fyrhawk said:

Not sure if running a temporary power wire will help because the two have to be connected together in order for the radio to work. 

 I personally start with the super simple stuff first. 

If there is a issue with the wire from the fuse box to where you are hooking to it, bypassing it will reveal that.

The next thing I would suspect is the plug on the back of the radio is getting pressed against something once pushed into the dash. 

 What vehicle is this in?

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am not sure if there is an issue with the wire from the fuse box seeing that these two red wires are from 2 separate wiring harnesses that are getting attached. One harness goes to the radio and the other goes directly to the fuse box and speakers. The radio was first installed a year after buying the car. Not sure how long after that did this start happening. I never did check the power from the black box that the one harness that goes to the fuse box. I will have to check that and see if that has a cut in it. I'm not sure about there being a issue with plug on the back of the radio being pressed against something seeing that I have had that unit taken out so many times. The odds are slim that is the problem but cant rule it out.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 I personally bypass all plugs other than the actual one on the back of the radio. I soilder and heat shrink any other connections that need made. I definitely discourage the use of any crimp connectors. If you are using an aftermarket plug to attach to another plug before the plug on the stereo, I would run a couple zip ties around that aftermarket plug, if you are not willing to bypass it.

 Are you stating that you have the constant battery power and power wire connected together?  Not sure why you would have two power wires hooked to one wire on the stereo?  Should only need one to the red wire that is a keyed on power source, and a second wire to the yellow which is a constant battery source.

 The only other thing I could see being with the actual head unit is a glitch in the software. Which pioneers are known for. Would not see hitting a bump triggering an issue in that unless something is causing a surge. Perhaps a surge caused by those two power wires having slightly different voltage. If you feel like it is a glitch in the software it is suggested to reset the head unit three or four times.

 Perhaps pull the stereo out and wiggle all the wiring aggressively and see if you can emulate the problem.

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have the wires from the radio harness which are color coded attached to the wiring harness that runs out to the car. Each of these has a plug that gets plugged into the radio and the other to factory female plug which runs out to the speakers and fuse box. 

I have the two red power wires, one from each plug, butt spliced together. The power wire that is attached to the factory female plug runs out to the fuse box. That wire has been untouched. Once it is plugged it then the power connection is established. I don't think there is a glitch in the software since this is the second unit I have put in. Again, cant rule it out. 

I have had that unit out and pulled on the power wires to make sure they were tight when I had the old wire harnesses in there and nothing happened. Even replaced butt splices to make sure they were tight. 

I really thought by buying new wiring harnesses would solve the problem. Unless it is something with the bypass for the DVD player but that isn't hooked to the power wires so really not sure about that. I will have to look at the fuse box and see if I can locate the power line from the radio to see if there is any tears in the wires. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I do not trust aftermarket plugs or but connecters. Maybe for the speaker signals but not the power.

 Please post a picture of the wiring behind the stereo and state which vehicle this is in.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've enclosed two pics of the wiring harnesses used. The one for that goes out to the car has a navigation wires that are not hooked up. So all wires are attached that are color coded. My vehicle is a 2015 Dodge Dart.

pioneer harness.jpg

g541RP4CH21-o.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

  A quick Google search of “dodge dart stereo shutting off“ revealed several people have this issue starting at around 10,000 miles. I would suggest reading those articles and seeing how they remedied the problem.

please report back if you find something.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×